Special Birthday (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Cody celebrates a special birthday with family and friends.


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – Thank you for the ALWAYS awesome feedback and for the friendship that grows every day.

Readers and REAL McRollers – Thank you for continuing on this journey with us. Your enthusiasm and amazing support is very much appreciated.

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Special Birthday (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"Coooody," a soft, sing-song voice woke him, and he blinked, rubbing a hand over his face.

Rolling onto his back, Cody opened his eyes and saw his mother smiling down at him.

Jenna sat on the edge of the couch by his legs, and Cody smiled knowingly as he waited for her to speak.

"I have five favorite days of the year . . ." she said. "And this is one of them."

Cody's smile grew at the familiar words, repeated every year to him and each of his siblings.

"Happy birthday," Jenna said.

"Thanks," he said, his voice still rough with sleep, and sat up.

She sighed and reached over to brush a hand through his messy hair.

"My baby boy . . . sixteen."

He huffed a little laugh and tried to duck out of her reach.

"Mom . . ."

She chuckled and patted his leg.

"Come on, I want to show you something before everyone else gets up." She stood and stepped toward the kitchen. "I'm assuming you want French Toast again this year for your special breakfast?"

"With oatmeal bread?" he asked hopefully.

She smiled. "Bought it yesterday."

"Okay, I'll be right there," he said, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

On the coffee table, Cody's phone buzzed with a text message. He picked it up and smiled when he saw the message from Steve.

 _Happy birthday. Enjoy breakfast. I'll call later._

He typed a quick response and stood to walk to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, Cody joined his mother in the kitchen.

"What'd you want to show me?" he asked.

She had been pulling ingredients from the cabinet and fridge but moved toward the table and opened a folder. She handed him a paper from inside.

"What's this?" he asked.

She laughed. "It's a house."

"Well, I can see that, but who's–" He stopped and looked at her. "You mean . . . for us?"

Jenna nodded with a beaming smile.

Cody looked back at the paper and took a seat. "We can't afford this . . . can we?"

She sat down as well. "Not right now, but the owner is advertising it as rent-to-own."

"What does that mean?" he asked, raising his eyes to her.

"That means that we can rent the house and live in it, and at the end of the lease, we can buy the house."

"But even after the lease or whatever . . . how can we . . .?"

She put her hand on his arm. "Cody, it's official. Barbara's retiring at the end of June, and Dr. Davenport asked me to take over as officer manager."

"He did?"

"Yeah," she said, the excitement in her voice rising. "So I'll be making a lot more. And with the money I made working at the gas station the last six months . . . that will be enough for the option money."

"The what?"

"Kind of like a down payment."

Cody looked back at the paper.

"Did you already like . . . sign stuff?" he asked.

"No, not yet. I wanted to you to see the place first. I thought maybe we could go look and then take everyone else."

He nodded.

"It's actually not that far from here," Jenna continued. "Four bedrooms. Well, three bedrooms and one room that I think we could turn into a bedroom. No more sleeping on the couch for you," she said, pushing his arm. "I still can't believe you convinced me to let you do that."

"It was cheaper to get a two bedroom apartment, and Jacob kicks." He shrugged. "Just made more sense for you to sleep with Kaitlyn and me to sleep on the couch."

"Well, you won't be there much longer." She leaned forward. "I think this is the place for us, Cody. I really do."

He smiled.

"And one more thing," she said and took out an envelope decorated with "Happy Birthday" stickers.

"We usually do presents with everyone," he said as she handed it to him.

"This is just a part of your present. I wanted you to have it early."

He opened the envelope, took out the paper, and unfolded it.

Furrowing his brow, he said, "This is my birth certificate."

"Yeah."

"Why are you . . ."

"Because you'll need it when you apply for your work permit."

Cody's eyes widened.

"Really? A work permit?"

"Well, Certificate of Age."

"Really?" he asked again.

She laughed. "Really."

"You said we'd talk about it again when I was sixteen. I had this whole speech worked out and everything."

She grinned. "You can still give it, if you want."

"No, that's okay," he said with a chuckle.

"Summer only for now," she said with a meaningful look. "We'll talk again in the fall."

He leaned over and hugged her.

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome." She smiled fondly at him. "For the record, I'm very proud of you for wanting to take on the responsibility of a job. The reason I didn't want you to before was . . ."

"You wanted me to focus on school, I know."

"Yes, but not just that. I . . ." She sighed. "You already do so much, Cody, and . . . well, I . . . I just didn't want you to take on so many responsibilities that you missed out on being a teenager."

"I'm not missing out, Mom." He sighed. "Or the stuff I am missing out on . . . it's not stuff I want to do anyway." He held up the birth certificate. "But this . . . I want to do."

She nodded. "I know you do."

After a pause, she smiled and asked, "So, do you have any ideas?"

He gave a little shrug. "Steve said the man who owns one of the Foodland stores . . . he's looking for baggers for the summer."

Cody paused.

He looked at her and raised his eyebrows suspiciously. "Did he know about this?"

She smiled guiltily. "I may have mentioned it to him and asked him to keep an eye out for any good summer jobs."

Cody's smile was grateful. "Thanks."

"Which probably means he's got a whole list of suggestions for you."

Cody laughed. "Yeah, probably."

They heard the sound of a door opening and feet in the hallway.

Jenna smiled. "I think they're up." She took Cody's birth certificate and tucked it and the envelope back in the folder with the information about the house.

"CodyCodyCodyCodyCODY!" Jacob yelled as he ran into the kitchen and launched himself at his brother.

Cody laughed as he caught Jacob mid-jump.

"Hey! What's this? You don't usually attack me in the morning."

"I'm not 'ttacking you," Jacob protested. "I'm hugging you."

"Ohh, got it." Cody flashed a quick look at his mother who was trying to hide her grin. "Why? Is it a special day?"

Jacob took a step back and looked at him with incredulous eyes. "It's your _birthday_!"

Cody rolled his head back in an exaggerated gesture. "Oh, that's right."

"Do you feel older?"

Cody started to answer flippantly, but his gaze went to the folder where his birth certificate was.

"Yeah, I kinda do," he said quietly.

Jacob grinned before his expression turned to a small wince, and he bounced in place.

"Jacob, did you use the bathroom yet?" Jenna asked knowingly.

"I wanted to tell Cody 'Happy birthday' first," he said.

"So why don't you?" Cody teased.

"I did."

Cody shook his head, fighting a smile. "No, you didn't."

Jacob paused, thinking.

He gasped. "I didn't! Happy birthday!" he exclaimed and then ran from the kitchen.

A moment later they heard pounding on the bathroom door and Jacob yelling, "Dylan! I gotta go!"

"Hang on!" Dylan's voice shouted back.

"But I gotta gooooooo!"

When Jenna moved to follow, Cody stood.

"I got it," he said.

As he stepped back into the living room, he saw Casey and Kaitlyn attempting to fold the sheet from the couch. He heard the bathroom door open.

"Your turn," Dylan said.

"Thank you thank you," Jacob said hurriedly, and the door closed again.

"What are you two doing?" Cody asked the girls as Dylan joined them in the living room.

"Making your bed," Casey said.

"Happy birthday, Cody!" Kaitlyn said with a broad smile. "Look what I made you!"

She dropped her side of the sheet, causing Casey to groan.

"Kaitlyn . . ."

Jenna popped her head around the corner to watch, smiling at the scene.

"Look," Kaitlyn said, handing Cody a colorful laminated paper from the coffee table. "It's a poem."

"Oh, I get it," Cody said as he scanned the page. "With my name. One of those acrostic poems."

She pulled his arm down so she could point at the lines. "Yeah, it says, _C for Cool. O for Older than me. D for Doesn't like grape jelly. Y for You're great!_ "

"Thanks, Kaitlyn," he said.

"And my teacher . . . she made it . . . um . . . she put the . . ." She tapped the plastic. "This stuff on it. To protect it."

"She laminated it," Cody said.

"Yeah. You could even get it wet now and it'll be okay. She says 'Happy birthday,' too."

"You should've said 'O for Outstanding,' " Dylan said, peering at the poem. "Or 'Out of this world!' "

"I didn't think of that . . ." Kaitlyn started, her brow knitting.

"It's great, Kaitlyn," Cody said quickly.

"Yeah," Dylan said and smiled at her. "Way better than grape jelly."

Jenna smiled at the interaction.

The bathroom door opened, and Jacob ran back out.

"What did I miss?" he asked frantically.

"I gave Cody my poem," Kaitlyn said.

"Can I see?" Jacob asked. "Read it to me."

"How about after breakfast?" Jenna cut in. "Kaitlyn, go get washed up. French toast will be ready in a few minutes."

She disappeared back into the kitchen.

"French toast!" Jacob cried happily. "I love French toast!"

"Me, too," Cody said. "That's why we're having it."

"With thick bread?" Kaitlyn asked.

"You bet," Jenna said. "But we'll need to eat fast. It's still a school day."

"Five more days!" Dylan said excitedly.

Casey pointed to the sheet on the floor and said, "Get that end, Dylan."

"If you were in my class, Cody," Jacob said. "You'd get to wear the Birthday Crown today."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. If you want. But you don't have to. It's a 'option,' " Jacob said, quoting Mrs. R.

"I think I'd pass on that option," Cody said with a little smile. "Sorry, buddy."

" _I_ wore the Birthday Crown," Jacob continued.

Cody chuckled. "I know, you told us all about it."

"And we saw the picture," Casey added, putting the mostly folded sheet on the couch by Cody's pillow.

"I wonder if there'll be a Birthday Crown in first grade," Jacob wondered aloud.

"Probably depends on the teacher," Cody said.

Fifteen minutes later, they were all crowded around the kitchen table eating French toast made from thick oatmeal bread.

"Wish we had a bigger table," Dylan said, brushing against Cody's arm as he reached for his glass of milk.

"If we had a bigger table we wouldn't be able to turn around in the kitchen," Casey said.

"I guess," Dylan agreed.

Jenna's eyes drifted to the counter where the folder with the house information lay. Cody followed her gaze, and a small smile grew on his face.

"Oh," Jenna said and looked back at Cody. "I got a text from Jadon's mom. She signed the waiver. And I talked to Will's dad and Martez's mom. Everybody is all set for Friday."

"For what?" Jacob asked, pouring more syrup on his French toast.

Jenna smiled and took the syrup container from him. "Cody's got something special planned with Steve on Friday and his friends are going with him."

"Special?" Jacob asked. "Are you sure you don't want a Birthday Crown? I could make you one."

Cody smiled. "I appreciate it, Jake. But I definitely won't need a Birthday Crown for this."

* * *

Friday afternoon, Steve pulled up to an empty paintball facility with Cody and Cody's friends Jadon, Will, and Martez in the truck.

The teens all climbed out of the vehicle and met Steve at the back.

"Okay," Steve said, looking over Cody, Jadon, and Will. "You three look fine. But you." He pointed at Martez. "What are you wearing? I said long-sleeves. Something you don't mind getting dirty." He looked at Cody. "Didn't you tell 'em?"

"I told 'em," Cody said. He shook his head with a resigned shrug. "That's just what Martez always wears."

Martez shrugged, straightening the sleeves of his ostentatious and brightly colored silky button-down shirt. "I gotta look good, you know."

The other teens rolled their eyes.

"You all just jealous," Martez said.

Steve folded his arms. "You understand we're gonna be shooting paintballs at each other, right? _Paintballs_. With paint in them." He eyed Martez. "It is going to get on your clothes."

Martez swallowed. He looked at Cody. "Thought you said it'd wash out."

Cody shrugged.

"For the most part," Steve said. "Which is why I said to wear something you don't mind getting dirty."

Martez gulped.

Steve shook his head. "Good thing I come prepared."

He grabbed a bag from the back of the truck and took out a camouflage shirt that matched the one he was wearing.

"Put that on," he said and tossed it to Martez.

The other boys exchanged a look as their friend unbuttoned his shirt.

"Uh . . ." Jadon started, glancing at Steve's bag. "You got any more of those?"

"Yeah," Will echoed. "This is uh . . . this is actually one of my favorite shirts so uh . . ."

The corner of Steve's mouth twitched up in a smile, and he pulled out three more shirts.

Cody grinned as he caught the shirt Steve tossed at him, and Steve winked at him.

While the boys were changing their shirts, a middle-aged man approached from the building.

"Hanale," Steve said, raising a hand in greeting.

"Commander," Hanale said as he reached them. He shook Steve's hand.

"Hey, thanks again for opening up for us," Steve said. "I appreciate it, man."

"Absolutely."

"How's business?" Steve asked.

Hanale laughed. "Which one?"

"That's right," Steve said with a smile. "You're starting to rival Kamekona with everything you've got going."

"And he never lets me forget he gave me the idea for this place."

Steve chuckled. "That sounds about right."

"As long as he doesn't start asking for a cut."

Steve barked a laugh. "Yeah, watch out for that."

Hanale smiled his agreement.

"Here, let me introduce you," Steve said and turned to the teens. "This is Cody, the birthday boy, and his friends Jadon, Will, and Martez."

Hanale nodded at them.

"Guys, this is Hanale Kama. He owns the facility."

"Any of you boys ever play before?" Hanale asked.

"No," Jadon said, and the others shook their heads.

Hanale nodded and looked at Steve. "What are you thinking, Commander?"

"That depends. You playing?"

Hanale laughed and shook his head. "No, no. But I'll ref if you want."

"Okay," Steve said and looked back at the teens. "How about me and Cody versus you three?"

"Dude, that's not fair," Jadon said.

"What?" Cody said. "Your team's got more people."

Jadon threw up his hands. "But one of your 'people' is a _SEAL_!"

Cody grinned in response while Steve kept his face neutral.

"Yeah," Will said. "He should have to be blindfolded or something."

"Yeah," Martez agreed.

"I'm not gonna be blindfolded," Steve said, shaking his head.

Jadon gave an exaggerated groan. "Aw man, we gon' lose."

Steve smirked. "But you'll have fun doing it."

Jadon gaped at him. He laughed and snapped. "Aww, naw, man, it's on now."

"It's on and _poppin'_ ," Will said. "Let's do this."

"Okay, then let's get you guys suited up," Hanale said.

The boys headed toward the building, laughing and giving each other excited shoves.

"You've done it now, Commander," Hanale said with a laugh.

Steve winked at him, and they followed the teens to the facility.

* * *

After two hours of paintball, both team and individual play, capped off by a much appreciated food delivery by Kamekona, Steve dropped the other boys at their homes before letting Cody drive back to the Allens' apartment building.

"That was really awesome," Cody said after he had parked the truck and turned off the ignition. "Thanks for taking us."

Steve nodded. "Hanale took a lot of good pictures. He said he'd send 'em to me so I'll get 'em to you as soon as I can."

Cody nodded. "Cool."

"You did really well for your first time," Steve said sincerely. "You finally got me in that last game."

Cody ducked his head a little.

"Lieutenant Rollins . . . er . . . Catherine . . ." He looked at Steve. "She told me to call her that."

Steve nodded for him to continue.

"She uh . . . she called me with some pointers," Cody finished.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "Did she, now?"

"Yeah," Cody said, fighting a grin.

Steve ran his tongue over his lip to contain his own smile. "Huh."

"She said it was my birthday present."

Steve snorted. "Of course she did."

After a moment, Cody's gaze drifted up the building, and he swallowed.

"My uh . . . my mom thinks she found a house for us."

"Oh yeah?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. We're gonna go look at it this weekend."

"That's great, Cody."

"Yeah."

He paused and gave Steve a sidelong glance.

"Maybe you could uh . . . maybe you could check out the street?" he started. "And the neighborhood? You know . . . to . . . to make sure it's safe?"

"Yeah. I can do that."

"Okay." Cody shrugged. "I mean, Mom probably checked a little . . . but . . . I thought you . . ."

"Absolutely," Steve said with a serious nod. "Send me the address."

"Okay."

After another pause, Cody said, "So about that Foodland job thing . . .?"

Steve smiled. "Ahh, your mom gave you the okay, huh?"

"Yeah," Cody said, a small smile on his face. "She put my birth certificate in an envelope like a . . . like a birthday present . . . since I'll need it when I apply."

Steve nodded.

Cody's expression dropped slowly.

"I haven't . . . um, you know, seen that . . . in a long time." He glanced over at Steve and clarified, "My birth certificate."

He paused, his eyes drifting back down.

"I wish I could take my dad's name off it," he said quietly.

Steve stayed silent, his gaze on Cody's profile.

"Hey," he said finally and waited for Cody to look at him. He shook his head. "You can't erase the past, Cody. And you don't have to. Because your past doesn't have to define you."

When Cody didn't respond, Steve leaned forward a little and said, "Okay?"

Cody nodded slowly.

"I know sometimes that's easier said than done," Steve continued. "But I want you to keep that in mind, okay?"

"Okay," Cody said quietly.

After a pause, Steve opened the passenger side door and motioned with his head for Cody to come around to his side.

As Cody slid out of the driver's seat and walked around the front of the truck, Steve took a small brown paper package out of the glove box and stepped out of the vehicle. When Cody joined him, he held out the package.

"Happy birthday."

Cody looked at him in surprise.

Steve smiled and motioned with the package for him to take it.

Cody swallowed and looked at the package as he slowly reached for it. His eyes flicked back to Steve as he finally took the gift.

He paused, staring at it.

Steve chuckled. "Well, go on. Open it."

Cody turned the package over and gingerly slid a finger under one edge of the brown paper. He slowly opened it to reveal a black wallet.

His mouth opened slightly as he stared at it. He ran his fingers over the smooth surface and opened the wallet slowly.

Steve watched him and said, "I noticed you don't carry one and figured . . . you're gonna need something to keep that driver's license in when you get it in July."

Cody looked up at him, his face filled with a mix of bewilderment and awe.

"You like it?" Steve asked. He shrugged. "We can get a different color if you want."

"No, I . . . I . . . this is . . . I never had a . . . you're . . ." He stopped and swallowed hard. "I like it."

"Good," Steve said, keeping his eyes on the teen.

Cody swallowed again. "Thank you."

Steve smiled. "You're welcome."

After another pause, Steve nodded toward the building.

"Well, you better get going," he said.

Cody nodded but didn't move, his eyes back on the wallet.

Steve started to speak again but Cody moved suddenly and gave him a quick one-armed hug before stepping back.

Steve stood still, momentarily frozen in surprise.

He shook himself as Cody spoke.

"Was that . . . okay?" Cody asked quietly.

"Yeah," Steve said quickly, his voice rough. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, that was okay. That was . . ." He stopped and exhaled. "Come here."

He pulled Cody into a more solid hug and patted him once on the back before releasing him.

Smiling to cover his emotion, he reached over to ruffle Cody's hair and push him toward the building.

"Go on," he said. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Driving. Right?"

Cody smiled. "Okay."

"And I'm gonna show you how to change the oil on the Marquis. So . . ."

"Wear something I don't mind getting dirty."

Steve smiled. "Right."

Cody nodded and headed for the apartment building door, wallet and brown paper clutched in one hand.

"Hey," Steve called after him. "Happy birthday, Cody."

The teen looked back as he reached the door and smiled.

"Thanks."

Once Cody had disappeared into the building, Steve inhaled deeply and ran a hand over his mouth and down his chin.

His eyes stayed on the door as he pushed his fingers through his hair and whispered, "Wow."

He swallowed, thick with emotion, and shook his head slowly, still a hint of disbelief in his expression.

After a moment standing in place, he looked down and headed for the driver's side of the truck, a quietly satisfied smile on his face and in his heart.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

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